Conservation

Welcome
Amherst has a long history of preserving important ecological, agricultural, cultural, and water supply related lands. Throughout the last forty years citizens committees and town meetings have supported hundreds of different land conservation projects. Amherst remains a leader in acquiring open space and managing the lands it already owns.

Overview
The Conservation Department is responsible for the administration of environmental laws and policies, open space protection and management, water management, preservation of natural features of the environment, and coordination for joint action with many town bodies. Other responsibilities include:

Managing 1,965 acres of conservation land and more than 50 open fields Maintaining some 80 miles of foot trails

Involvement in the acquisition of Agricultural Preservation Restrictions over 1,842 acres of farmland (with another 280 acres in progress) on 32 properties and an additional 157 acres covered by Conservation Restrictions

Carrying out additional land acquisition and protection projects for the Town with assistance from the Kestrel Trust, Valley Land Fund, and state and federal grants Assisting the Conservation Commission in administering State and Town Wetlands Protection statutes

Carrying out a forest management program on 2,500 acres of Town watershed land in Shutesbury, Pelham, Belchertown, and Amherst

About Amherst

The Town of Amherst, located in the lovely Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, is a diverse, inclusive community offering numerous educational and cultural opportunities.

Host to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the Town enjoys a tradition of open, professional, and high level of government services, quality education, support for open space and agriculture, and respect for its history.